


The Village

by KyNotKyle



Series: Sunset Curve and New Music [3]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Past Suicide Attempt, flynn makes great playlists, no beta we die like three teenagers in an alley, religious trauma (tm), this is really sad im sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:22:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29110749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyNotKyle/pseuds/KyNotKyle
Summary: Alex is having a bad day and music usually helps calm him down, one song in particular from the playlist that Flynn sends him has lyrics hauntingly similar to his childhood.or:The Village makes Alex even more sad and Luke has spidey senses
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Julie Molina, Alex Mercer & Julie Molina & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn & Alex Mercer (Julie and The Phantoms)
Series: Sunset Curve and New Music [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131110
Comments: 5
Kudos: 55





	The Village

**Author's Note:**

> CW// past suicide attempt
> 
> this one hurt to write, i apologize in advance

It's one of those days for Alex, anxious, sad, missing home, and worst of all, he was alone. Reggie, Luke, and Julie are all at Carlo’s baseball game and Alex was meant to be spending time with Willie but they had to cancel so they could take care of something Caleb related. He knows that he could text Julie since Willie had gotten him a phone from God knows where, but he doesn't feel like bothering any of them with his issues. He scrolls through the contacts on his phone, still not entirely confident in his ability to use it correctly. The names pass by on the screen until he reaches the end of the, rather short, list. When he scrolls back to the top he sees his most recent conversation with Flynn about music, he has an idea and begins typing out a message, sending it quickly before he can overthink the decision.

“Hey Flynn, I need one of your playlists, I’m sad but I don’t want to deal with it.”

He knows that shell understands what he means, within their friend group Flynn is widely regarded as the professional playlist maker. She has one for every emotion, genre, vibe, whatever you need she has it. After about a minute, Alex’s phone chimes notifying him of her response. 

“ive got just what you need do you want Gay Sad, Pining Sad, or Drown The World Out With Loud Music Sad?”

“Gay Sad please and thank you.” 

“i gotchu and pls fix your texting you type like an old man :)” He laughs at that and clicks the link she attached, connecting his phone to the studio speakers.

A song by an artist he recognizes (Conan Gray his mind supplies) plays and he can feel his anxiety start to calm and the knot in his chest begins to loosen ever so slightly. Music always had that effect on him, it washed over him and quieted the intrusive thoughts. The next song starts and he lays back on the couch and grabs the stuffed animal Willie got him for when they couldn’t be together. 

Alex continues like this, curled up on the couch with a stuffed bear, for about ten minutes until he hears an unfamiliar song begin. The opening piano part makes him think of Julie and whether or not she would be able to learn it. He checks his phone to see what the title is, “The Village,” he reads aloud. 

He focuses hard on the lyrics of the song, absorbing every word. He can tell what it's about before it even gets to the chorus. 

“This is just a phase you’re gonna outgrow,” he hears and the words of his parents decades ago echo through his mind. When the chorus comes he sits up gripping the soft fur of the bear, ignoring how childish he must look. 

“Feel the rumors follow you, From Monday all the way to Friday dinner.” He thinks of family dinners and the cold looks from his parents. 

“Then it's Sunday hell to pay, you young lost sinner.” Church, how could he ever forget the disappointed look on the pastor’s face when his parents had told him about Alex’s “phase.”

“It's a lie, though buried in disciples. One page of the Bible isn't worth a life.” He pulls out his phone again, turning down the volume. He doesn’t want to skip it but even more he doesn't to think of missing rehearsal one Sunday only for his friends to find him on his bathroom floor staring at a handful of pills. Opening his conversation with Flynn he begins typing again. 

“I think The Village broke me can you come over.”

When the text is sent he tosses his phone onto the coffee table and wipes the tears from his face, hes not sure when he had started crying. 

“im on my way” is Flynn's response and he has never been more grateful for how close she lives. 

Only a few minutes later the doors of the studio creak open and Flynn walks in holding a bag. “Wow you weren’t joking when you said it broke you,” she says lightheartedly.

“When have you known me to joke,” Alex replies with a watery laugh. He scoots over on the couch allowing her to sit next to him. “What's in the bag?”

“Oh that's my emergency feelings bag, it has a hoodie, Julie's favorite chocolate, and bad movies. I made it after Rose died in case Julie ever needed me to come over, I felt like you could use it right now tho.” She opens the bag and passes him a bag Hershey's kisses. “What about the song broke you?”

He hesitates a bit before answering her. “Well, my parents weren’t great about the whole liking guys thing, they were really religious ya know. Church was hell for me,” he chuckles bitterly at the irony. 

“Is that it?” Flynn asks when he finishes but seems to want to say something else. 

“Uh well, when I was 16 I came home from church after the pastor spent the whole 2 hours talking about how horrible homosexuality is, and I…” he stops for a moment. “Flynn I tried to commit suicide,” he admits quietly, looking away, and the tears begin again. 

“Oh Alex,” Flynn grabs his hand gently, making small circles with her thumb, “I’m so sorry.” A sob escapes against his will.

“I missed rehearsal so the guys came to check on me, if it hadn’t been for them I would’ve done it. I regret it so much now because I would’ve lost them and when I saw the looks on their faces I realized what it would do to them. Reggie was so scared and Bobby, he looked like he would have fought God Himself if that's what it took,” he smiles a bit knowing how absolutely true that was. “Luke was the worst though, we were together at that point and he just took the pills away from me and hugged me, he was crying too and that's what got me, I saw his tears and snapped out of it so fast.”

As if on cue, someone knocked on the studio door and Luke walked in. “My Alex is sad alarm went off what's wrong?” Luke asked before he saw Alex staring at him with teary eyes and a tiny smile. 

“Your what went off?” Flynn asked, very confused and a little bit scared.

“That's been a thing since it happened, I don't know how it works or how he's always right but after that day he would show up like this. I’ve learned not to question it,” is all Alex can offer as an explanation. 

“Since wha- oh did you tell her,” Luke says, his eyes softening. Alex nods and Luke comes over and pulls him into a hug. “I love you so much, Lex.”

“I know Luke,” Alex says with all the sincerity in the world, making himself comfortable knowing full well that Luke wasn’t letting him go any time soon. He would never complain about it though.

Flynn pulls her phone out of her pocket and Alex assumes she's texting Julie. He is proven correct when Reggie and a mildly distressed Julie appear suddenly in front of them. 

At Alex’s questioning look Reggie offers a shrug and explains, “Julie said that Flynn said that you needed hugs and it turns out we can bring people with us.” Reggie then promptly piles on top of Luke and Alex while Flynn hands Julie the movies from her bag. 

This is right. Alex thinks to himself, adding this moment to the list of reasons he's glad the boys found him in time.


End file.
